1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mirror assembly for mounting onto a vehicle, and more particularly, to a mirror assembly having an ellipsoidal-shaped reflective surface, such that when two mirror assemblies are mounted on each front fender of the vehicle, the driver has a complete field of vision of the front and both sides of the vehicle.
2. Background Art
The National Safety Council has reported that 58,000 school bus accidents occurred in 1977 and 1978. It has been estimated that in a majority of these accidents the accident occurs when the school bus strikes the child who is boarding or departing from the vehicle. Most of the children injured by these buses are struck by the front wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,372, entitled "Elliptical Mirror for Vehicular Use", by W. P. Schmidt and F. D. Hutchinson, discloses a major advance in improving the field of view of drivers of large vehicles, such as school buses. By employing a pair of elliptical mirrors on the front of the vehicle, blind spots around the vehicle can be substantially reduced. The patent is herewith incorporated into this specification by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,914 by Stout et al discloses a variation of the Schmidt and Hutchinson design. Although an irregularly shaped convex mirror with a plurality of radii of curvature is disclosed, the preferred design is a sphere having a ten inch radius of curvature.
Even a minor reduction in the size of the "blind spots" is important, since children's lives are involved.